When Truth and Lies Are One
by Crystal Silvera
Summary: When Jasmine is taken away by yet another plan of the Shadow Lord, everyone knows that it is a trap—a trap made especially for the king of Deltora. But this time, the Shadow Lord has allied himself with another sorcerer of darkness, increasing his power. How far will Lief go to get Jasmine back, when everything they have worked for is at stake?/Set before epilogue-y ending.
1. Chapter One

**Before I begin . . . I have not vanished off the face of the Earth! What happened is that my mom signed me up for swimming classes—pre-competition, to be exact. IT. IS. EXHAUSTING. It's a ten-day class (goes for two weeks but they give you the weekend off), and this week I haven't been able to get on at ALL. The first day, I was way too tired. The rest of the days my mom said I shouldn't go on the computer. -.- Anyway, I got on today! **

**Most importantly . . . Sorry for the long wait! D8 (Rest of A/N is at the bottom!)  
**

* * *

**Chapter One  
**

* * *

_Sharn  
_

_Plans within plans, hidden beneath even more plans. . . . The Four Sisters failed, so then surely the Shadow Lord will have some other dark plot waiting to spring upon us like a trap around the hunter's prey._

I knew I should not have been thinking such thoughts. . . .

But after the peril I had seen my land survive, who would not be wary? Who would not suspect every stranger, beware every shadow, and sleep only to encounter dark nightmares? I also knew I was not alone—there were many citizens of Del who had barely lived through the terror of the Shadow Lord's tyranny, and those who did were, like I was, plagued with newfound wariness . . . and fear.

Thunder rumbled outside. For once, it was a natural occurrence and not summoned by the Shadow Lord's means of sorcery, which was welcomed by all. But I knew that with the storm came less trading ships, which Deltora would need if we wished to survive the winter with no crops of our own.

_Will Deltora have to suffer the Shadow Lord's plans and terror again in the future? Must we remain wary and suspicious and ready to fight darkness at a moment's notice? _

I do not doubt the fact that Deltora can survive. No one, no beast in their right mind would challenge the dragons that guard our borders. No one would dare to prevail over our magic. No one would, in simpler words, try to conquer us.

. . . That is, no one except the Shadow Lord.

"Sharn?"

The quiet voice was almost lost in the loud crash of thunder outside. I glanced towards the door, seeing a small shaft of light from the hall creep into the room. "Sharn?" the voice repeated, more loudly. I knew only a handful of people who would call me simply "Sharn," with no other irksome royal titles before (or after, for that matter) it. And only one had a voice so quiet and tentative.

"Yes, Tira?"

Tira opened the door some more and peered in. "There is a meeting being held in the library. You were asked to attend."

I nodded, even though Tira probably could not see my movement. "I will be there. Thank you, Tira."

Tira bowed slightly with a "You are most welcome, Sharn," and then left, closing the door silently behind her.

I frowned. A meeting late at night, in the middle of the loudest thunderstorm I had ever heard and held in the most private part of the palace?

* * *

_Jasmine  
_

"A meeting? What for?"

In the semidarkness, I saw Lief shake his head. "I cannot tell you here; we could be overheard. Be present and you will know in time."

I scowled. "Very well. But do not be surprised if I am late."

Lief laughed. "I would expect it. Come as soon as you can, Jasmine." I nodded and he stepped back into the hall, shutting the door as he went.

I sighed slightly. "A meeting, hm? What do you two think?"

Kree cawed loudly. _Didn't we—you, they, I couldn't care less—agree that the greater threat is over?_

I shrugged. "Yes. . . . I believe."

Filli chittered irritably. _Well, who knows? Perhaps_ some of us _have finally taken leave of our senses after all that's happened._ He motioned pointedly at the door with a tiny paw.

I snorted. "Filli, that is not entirely unreasonable but still rather ridiculous. And besides, I think all of Del would notice if their king was taking leave of his senses."

Filli only blinked up at me. _I don't speak without reason. Usually._

Kree squawked indignantly. _Yes, like when you tried to convince me Jasmine was actually Thaegan in disguise? I _still_ can't fathom why—_

_I was in shock and confused! Haven't you had more than your share of laughing in my face for long enough? I was only recently acquainted with Jas here and I still didn't know if I should trust her or not! And then _you_ mentioned that vile sorceress and I thought—  
_

I rolled my eyes. "I thought we were done with this!"

Both of them turned and glared at me pointedly for interrupting their argument.

I laughed and turned from the window, where I had been watching the raging storm outside. "Well, debate in peace then. _I_ am leaving." I started towards the door, draping a cloak over myself.

_When will you return?_ asked Kree, ever cautious. . . . Especially after he had been drugged and tracked by Paff.

"Do not worry yourselves. I will most likely be back within the next hour or so, depending on the meeting. If you wish to find me, just join us. . . . Remember, we are in the library."

Filli offered one last piece of advice: _And don't let yourself get poisoned or alike!_

* * *

The palace was always busy, but less so at night, and especially at this late time. Even so, there were still people you could run into besides the guards and sentries, but the library was always empty.

"Jasmine? Is that you?"

I turned and found Sharn behind me, walking swiftly and quite silently even to my hearing. "Yes, Sharn. You are attending as well?"

"Of course." Sharn gave me an amused expression. "After all, they cannot discuss anything of importance without the presence of the great Lady Sharn."

I laughed and we continued on toward the library.

"So how have you been faring, Jasmine? I know palace life is not exactly what you had wished for and that you would probably prefer to live in the Forests again."

_That is not _exactly_ true . . . ,_ I thought.

"Quite well, considering," I replied. "I am just grateful that I do not have to be contained here _all_ the time and that I do not have to worry about avoiding Silence Spiders and the like. And it is pleasant not to have to rely upon using what I can find, mostly from near-death Grey Guards."

Sharn chuckled. "I suppose so. What do you assume this meeting is about?"

I shrugged. "To be honest with you? I do not have the slightest idea. But perhaps to discuss smaller dangers that threaten Deltora or any of the major cities and towns."

"That does sound likely, but we discussed that many times already."

I nodded. "Which is why that is only a guess."

We stopped in front of the library doors. Newly repaired, the slabs of gold glittered in the faint torchlight and the occasional burst of brightness from the thunder outside. A metalsmith of the Jalis tribe—a talented one, I had heard—had repaired the doors so that they were covered in curving, swooping arcs that seemed like a complex pattern from a distance but, as you got closer to it, formed the shapes of intricate beasts of Deltora.

When Lief and I had first seen them, we had smiled at the representations.

Sharn walked up to the doors and knocked softly. Marilen's voice answered from within: "Veritas?"

Sharn and I exchanged a glance. "There is a password to get in?" I whispered. Sharn's eyes narrowed. "Apparently so."

_Veritas . . . Is that not the amethyst dragon? _I wondered. I decided to try it.

"Dragon of the Amethyst tribe," I said clearly.

"Wrong."

I scowled. _Since when did Lief become so . . . secretive?_

Another voice answered: _Perhaps he learned a few things from Doom._

I thought again. _Amethyst. Amethyst. Amethyst. . . . In the Belt, does the amethyst not come last? Perhaps it is "Deltora" backwards, but the dragons' true names?_ I glanced at Sharn, who was also thinking. _It sounds like something Doom would think of. _I scowled again.

"Veritas, Joyeu, Hopian, Fidelis, Fortuna, Honora, Forta," I said.

"Correct. Well done, Jasmine!" Slowly and silently the doors swung open to reveal Marilen, bright-faced and quite awake for the ungodly hour. "I truly did not expect anyone to answer that correctly, but Doom forced me to, saying it was for the 'safety of the kingdom.'" She laughed. "Well, come in! You were the only ones we were waiting on."

Marilen led Sharn and me to a more secluded corner of the library, near the librarian's living quarters. There, seated around a table, were Lief, Barda, Doom, and Zeean. As Sharn and I found seats, I realized it was a rather small group . . . the group of people Lief trusted most, without all the advisers and elders he usually had to converse with.

"First of all"—I blinked, realizing that Lief was speaking—"I would like to thank you all for attending despite the rather late time. But I could find no other way to avoid those I still did not trust and confer in privacy and relative peace."

A clap of thunder sounded, illuminating the library briefly, the lightning-light making everything strange and sharp. I shuddered, despite myself. Storms viewed from the Forests had never been so . . . _dramatic_.

"It was my idea," Doom muttered gruffly, nodding at the window. "No one could hear us in this din. Although we did wonder about those who would have been woken by the thunder, so I told Lief to have some kind of password."

I rolled my eyes. "I _knew_ it was you," I sighed. Doom spared me an amused look before Lief started to speak again.

"I called you all together because I . . ." Lief faltered, then began again. "Yesterday, I received a message. . . . From the Shadow Lord."

Various reactions were shown around the table, but it went a little like this . . .

Doom, of course, remained neutral as always. Sharn simply looked shocked and paled, visible even in the dark. Barda cursed under his breath, which is not a rare occurrence but what he said was extremely rude. Zeean fainted briefly before coming back to her senses—in her ever-increasing age, she was becoming more and more frail.

My reaction? Truly, nothing. I was not surprised or stunned at all. . . . I suppose this, at least, I retained from my father.

"How?" gasped Zeean faintly, her face even whiter than Sharn's. _"How?"_

"I do not know how, and nor do I wish to," replied Lief. "I was signing various documents"—he made a face—"and then, as I looked away from the papers, another one appeared on top of the others. It caught my attention immediately as the paper was dark grey and the lettering white—and the Shadow Lord's symbol was at the top, in blood red."

He paused, letting us take that in.

"Well, what did it say? I, for one, would like to know that the land isn't in peril again," said Barda gruffly.

For a long time, the only sounds were thunder and rain. Impatient, I folded my arms and sighed. "You could just show us," I said.

The suggestion seemed to take Lief aback, as if that was even worse than the message itself. "No one would be able to read it in this dim light," he muttered at last.

I raised an eyebrow. "What are you trying to hide, Lief?"

He looked away. "Nothing."

"Really? Then show us," I snapped. After the secret plan he and Doom had thought up to use in the underground sea and the Shadowlands, I was _done_ with anything else kept from me. Especially if Lief was the one keeping it.

"I—" Lief cut himself off. "Very well. But I warn you . . . One of my advisers saw through the paper, even though it was in plain view. I tried showing it to another adviser, but he also could not seem to see it."

Heavy silence filled the room.

I sensed Lief was telling the truth. . . . But not the _whole_ truth. There had to be more, but I was not about to pester him for it. Something in my mind told me that I had, through our journeys, given him more than his fair share of pestering.

"And so it would be even harder to see it in such light," murmured Sharn eventually, her soft voice easing into the silence. "Very well, Lief. I think we will individually try to see it for ourselves, yes?"

Doom, Barda, Zeean, and I nodded.

"Then I think we are done here. We should return to our rest—after all, tomorrow is the night of the Dragon Night and we must make sure everything is in order," said Doom curtly. In a louder voice he added, "Marilen, we are leaving now!"

Marilen hurried towards us from her living quarters as we rose from our seats. "Good night then, Lief, Sharn, Zeean, Jasmine, Doom," she said softly, curtsying quickly to us. I rolled my eyes. "Marilen, you are our friend and you do not have to follow palace protocol!"

Marilen laughed. "As you say, then." We all nodded at her in thanks and then started for the doors. I was halfway there when someone caught my arm. I turned and saw it was Lief.

"What is it?" I asked quietly.

"The message . . ." He trailed off again. I frowned slightly. It was not like Lief at all to fall silent so many times while he was speaking. And I had noticed he seemed extremely nervous during the meeting.

"I would like to see if you are able to see it," he said, surprising me.

". . . All right, then."

Lief led me to a room I had only seen once and never cared to enter—a room where officials came and went with the dullest, most boring business that the king had to attend to. The curtains were drawn, blocking whatever light the lightning storm had to offer, but there was a candle burning brightly on the large desk.

"Where is it?" I asked. Lief motioned towards the table. "It is the only thing I left on it."

To my dismay, I could only see the grain of polished wood.

"I—I'm sorry," I said, feeling disappointment fall onto my shoulders. I had hoped that, perhaps through my—

I stopped. _My _what_? What, exactly? _Mentally I shook myself and pushed the thought away.

"I think I will return to my rest now," I said rather shakily. "Good night, Lief." I left the room hastily and ran back to my own chambers . . . only to have to endure the torments of my mind.

To say that I did not sleep well was an understatement.

* * *

_Forta  
_

"Veritas, why must we go to Del?" I asked.

Veritas snorted purple fire, her amethyst eyes amused. "We must because it is the first true celebration of this year's Dragon Night! The king has asked us especially to soar the skies of Del to raise the spirits of his people. Surely we cannot deny such a request."

I sighed, careful not to ignite my own internal fire and send the cave awash in crystal flames. "But I do not _like_ Del."

Veritas eyed me. "Do _any_ of us dragons like that city? No. But, as Honora would say, it is something we simply cannot avoid for our own desires. It is too important. . . . And, Forta, I never lie."

"I know that. I just . . . I . . ." I stopped myself, not wanting to say what truly troubled me.

"Forta?" Veritas regarded me curiously. "Remember, you can tell me anything. It is the nature of Amethyst dragons to think deeply and consider wisely. I know you are always seeking advice."

I sighed again, and this time my diamond fire burst out of my maw. "It is exactly that! I do not know how Diamond dragons behave. Am I supposed to challenge Fortuna to a fight every chance I get, like she says my mother did? Or am I supposed to just—"

"Forta! Listen to me. I knew your mother well, and I know she did _not_ challenge Fortuna." Veritas snorted, this time in disdain. "Fortuna, sadly, has the fire in her blood to gamble. Thus she chose to do so with you, but what she did not consider is that, by challenging you, she challenges _me_.

"As for the behavior of Diamond dragons . . . Well, you already behave like one." Veritas grinned at my surprise. "Yes! For one, you are very loyal and generous to me. Which was one trait of your mother's. You are also rather superstitious, which I know Diamond dragons tend to be. And you, despite your youthful small size, are strong even by dragon standards."

I blinked, spreading my wings slightly to retain my balance as I tilted from side to side in shock—and vast relief. I had worried over this question ever since I had hatched, often resulting in sleeplessness and rather like what Veritas called depression.

"I observed you for a long time, Forta, and your mother for even longer," said Veritas, smiling slightly. "I had always been curious and observant, even for an Amethyst dragon. Trust me in this." Then she leaped through the opening of our cave and roared as she flapped into the night, her flame lighting up the darkness. "Well? We should depart if we are to visit the Os-Mine Hills before arriving at Del!"

I lifted my wings and roared as well, rejoicing as I saw that my fire matched Veritas's in intensity and brightness. I flew into the sky with her, each of the stars like a Diamond dragon's scale.

* * *

**Yay! Chapter the first, done—finally! 8D I spent a long time on this, pretty much going OCD. XP Longest chapter I've ever written.  
**

**This story will be updated slowly. I just wanted to warn everyone. . . . I want to focus on _The First Four_ until I finish it and then I'll focus on this story. This (Chapter One) and the second chapter (coming soon! I'm not as cruel as to leave you guys with just _one_ chapter XP) will stay up for a long time; I'll probably update whenever I hit writer's block(s) for _The First Four_. :3**

**My explanation for why the dragons sound so human: For one, this is fanfiction. XD That's my main reason. But the thing is, I don't _like_ writing dragons as wise, beyond-human-understanding, utterly, incomprehensibly powerful/wise/whatever beings. It just doesn't go well with me. And know this: Next chappie will definitely bring that out. Dragons like to communicate and joke around, too!**

**Anyway . . . Disclaimer, I'm not Emily Rodda/Jennifer Rowe and I wouldn't dare to claim to be! (For one, she's way better at writing than I am XD) Hear that, Scholastic? Not Emily Rodda.**

**Tell me what you think! Was it good? Did I rush? (Which I think I might've done . . .) Review! Please! :D**


	2. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two**

* * *

_ Forta  
_

"There you are! Greetings, Veritas! Greetings, Forta!"

Fidelis sent up a roaring column of golden flame to welcome us to the Os-Mine Hills. I almost felt as though there was no need for such a greeting; the Hills were a wonder, the perfect dragon haven, and introduced itself quite nicely.

"Greetings, Fidelis!" called Veritas and I, replying with mingled amethyst and diamond fire that blazed against the green backdrop. Fidelis half-spread his wings as we landed.

"So, Dragon Night," said Fidelis, wasting no time with polite words. "Joyeu will be on her way soon enough, although she told me she may not appear early as the fishing is currently excellent." He snorted in amusement, as did Veritas. "Well, that may be so in the eastern seas," murmured Veritas. Fidelis nodded and continued: "Moving on from Joyeu and her fishing, Honora, Fortuna, and Hopian have already arrived. They are currently hunting."

Veritas dipped her head. "Thank you, Fidelis." She tilted her head slightly. "And there have been no . . . how shall I word this . . . _conflicts_ . . . across borders, so far?"

Fidelis grinned, his white teeth glinting. "No. Although Fortuna promises a month's worth of Sand Beasts to whichever dragon can outfly her in a race."

Both Veritas and I snorted. "What does she take us for, addle-headed fools with air for brains? We all know Lapis Lazuli dragons are the fastest fliers! Besides, Sand Beasts have dry flesh and their spines always catch between my teeth." I glanced at Veritas in mild surprise at this comment. "You have eaten Sand Beasts before?" I asked.

Veritas chuckled. "Well, in my dreams as we slept. Fortuna kept appearing in mine, forcing me to try a leg or a pincer or so on. Did that occur to you?" She directed her question at Fidelis.

"Yes." Fidelis huffed. "She interrupted my dreams of tearing the Ak-Baba apart!"

I shifted my wings slightly. I still felt uncomfortable whenever Veritas or another dragon got talking about their dreams in their unnatural sleep. I had experienced nothing of the like; being inside an egg was, apparently, very different.

"Oh, also, did you hear? Joyeu laid an egg!"

Veritas choked out purple flame and I froze, my jaw dropping. _"What?"_ Veritas finally managed after a bout of coughing, faint amethyst smoke emitting from her mouth and nostrils all the while.

"That was my reaction exactly," mused Fidelis. "But yes, Joyeu says she will bring her dragonling along. She also mentioned that his name is Joyaetiox. A mouthful, if you ask me."

Joyaetiox_? What kind of name is that? . . . Although, I should be grateful there is finally another dragonling so that dragons may survive . . ._

Veritas started choking again. "_Joyaetiox?_ Are you sure, Fidelis?" she finally managed.

He nodded, his eyes glinting in amusement. "And Joyeu was nearly boasting with pride about it, as well. She says she is the first Ruby dragon to lay an egg without a mate in centuries." Fidelis sighed. "And so she decided to use creativity with her son's name. The poor thing."

Then I turned suddenly, my hearing picking up large, smooth wingbeats—accompanied by smaller, more rapid wingbeats that sounded slightly unstable.

"Well then! Greetings, Joyeu!" Fidelis roared.

I heard a rather distant "Greetings, Fidelis!"

Veritas and I did so as well as Joyeu landed. I craned my neck, trying to spot . . . what was his name . . . oh yes, Joyaetiox.

"I take it you have all heard," said Joyeu brightly. "Do not be shy, Joyaetiox! Come, say hello!"

From behind Joyeu crept a tiny blood-red dragonling, almost the exact image of his mother. Joyaetiox, however, had no webbing between his back spines and had larger, brighter eyes.

"Hello," he squeaked, then dove behind Joyeu's leg.

Fidelis and Veritas both laughed. "He will make a fine dragon, Joyeu. However, this reminds me . . ." Veritas wrinkled her snout. "I remembered pondering the question of our—the dragons'—survival in Deltora, remembering our slow-to-come eggs and the ability of laying them without mating. I wondered . . . Would we possibly reach across borders to survive and mate with a dragon from another gem tribe?"

Joyeu folded her wings, considering. "You would have to get it past Honora, you know," she finally said. "And we _all_ know her beliefs and her temper."

"She could not have made any of those clearer," agreed Fidelis drily. Then he glanced at the darkening sky. "It is nearing dusk, and we should be going to Del," he said reluctantly. "I will gather the others. Wait here—"

"Joyaetiox and I will go with you," said Joyeu firmly. Fidelis gave her a look but nodded, taking to the air. Joyeu and her dragonling did the same.

When they had left, Veritas turned to me.

"You were rather quiet, Forta," she said thoughtfully. "A bit unlike you."

"Well, I have never truly spoken with Fidelis and Joyeu," I replied.

Veritas nodded. "True."

We waited in silence, observing the beautiful scenery of the Os-Mine Hills around us. When Fidelis and Joyeu (Joyaetiox was hiding behind his mother, again) returned at last, the topaz dragon motioned for us to join them.

"To Del!" he roared, his golden flame greeting us like he had done so when we had first arrived.

_"To Del!"_ we all agreed, and our fire shone in the sky, bright as the gems of our land.

* * *

_Jasmine_

"The dragons! They have come! The dragons have come!"

The call spread through the huge crowd of Deltorans gathered on the hills for Del's first Dragon Night. I lifted my eyes to the sky and smiled despite my weariness from a sleepless night.

Forta led the procession. She had grown much larger—she was only a size smaller than Honora, who followed her. Behind Honora was Fortuna, her starry scales glimmering as she gracefully performed air acrobatics. Doing her tricks, however, Fortuna nearly crashed into Fidelis, who hovered behind her, which drew a laugh from the crowd. Next to Fidelis was Hopian, his massive form glittering in the sky, and behind him were Joyeu and Veritas.

To my delight, all of the dragons seemed well and healthy, their scales bright as the gems they represented.

Then they curved into a circle and hovered there. Silence fell across the square.

Then Forta's flame of diamond lit the sky.

And then Honora's.

One by one, the dragons each roared their fire, each like a gem in the Belt of Deltora, into the center of their circle. The colors blazed together like they had the night we had finally defeated the Shadow Lord, reminding all of us their vital role in Deltora's well-being.

The flame suddenly stopped, and then as one it began again, the colors even more vibrant and the dragons roared together. The dragon fire shone in the sky, bright as the sun.

Joy, triumph, and pride filled me and I truly felt happy in what had felt like a very, very long time. Filli and Kree, sensing my feelings, added their own voices to the din above—and below, as the people of Deltora started to cheer.

"I did not expect that," said Lief beside me, his expression mirroring my own. "No," I agreed. The display of color and flame was so much more than—

I froze. Suddenly I realized that Lief was holding my hand, his fingers intertwined with mine. I stared at him, bewildered. He laughed at my face.

"What? I did the same while we were fighting the Sister of the South and you did not seem to notice. Besides, Mother keeps telling me it is time for Deltora to have a queen as well."

Well, _that_ did not help at all. I made a face at him and then turned back to the dragons, who were now landing on the hills by the palace. "That was a year ago," I mused. "A year full of work for me," Lief muttered. "I preferred it when Mother ran the kingdom, but the advisers insist."

I said nothing to contradict him. I did not understand what this was, but I had no intentions of ruining it. . . .

The dragons headed for us, each slow step deliberate and self-conscious; rather like how I was feeling now. This time Veritas led them, so the original order of the dragons was reversed.

The seven dragons of Deltora surrounded the group of people around us, all friends and those we trusted. All the people on the hills were silent, awestruck as they stared at the dragons, the saviors of their land.

At last, Honora arched her neck in a bow and said in the dragons' growling voice, "Greetings, King of Deltora." Apparently she spoke for the others, as they copied her silently. As I took in the glittering forms of the dragons, shining even in the night, I realized that crouching next to Joyeu was a small dragonling, almost a mirror image of its mother. I glanced at Lief, wondering if he had seen the dragonling as well, but he was silently conversing with the dragons. I could tell, as his free hand was on the Belt and he seemed distant.

Suddenly the dragons hissed and broke out of their formation, their necks rearing into the sky and their wings half-spread. The tiny dragonling had given the night sky a terrified glance and then darted behind Joyeu's foreleg.

"What is it?" I asked Lief, who seemed as confused as I was. Then his expression darkened. "The dragons sense a creature coming towards us. A creature of the Shadow Lord."

The breath caught in my throat. "Not the Ak-Baba?" I had thought that, after the battle in Hira, the vulture-like beasts would decide not to return . . .

"No. Something much darker." The dragons fully spread their wings and took to the sky roaring flame.

Then I noticed Forta was still earthbound. Her neck was half-arched towards the night heavens, but her wings were folded tightly against her sides. I frowned. The posture looked unnatural and stiff.

I squinted in the darkness. . . . Were my eyes playing tricks on me or were Forta's scales . . . darker? They were usually—always—bright diamond white, but now they seemed almost gray.

Forta suddenly snapped her wings open, revealing midnight-black membrane. Her wings arched up to frame her sides, making her look oddly larger.

_"The first Dragon Night,"_ she suddenly hissed, lashing her tail. All eyes turned away from the other dragons in the sky to the diamond dragon in front of us.

_"So you think you have won, then."_ Forta turned to face us, and I realized with a start that her eyes were no longer the beautiful crystal. They were now blood red and burning with . . . with _hate_.

And it was directed at me.

The intensity of the burning eyes seemed to root me to the spot. I could not move, could not think. All that remained was the barren world of hate the crimson presented to me . . .

_Join us,_ a voice crooned. _Join us in our own quest—the quest for the death of the land!_

"Jasmine! _Jasmine!_" Faintly I realized it was a voice, calling my name. Faintly I realized the voice belonged to Lief.

Then I was roughly jerked into reality as the red eyes were blocked from my view. I blinked in confusion, but then screams pierced the air and what remained of my bewilderment left me.

"Something is wrong with Forta, Jasmine!" Lief shouted to me once he saw I was out of my trance. "I cannot—" His eyes widened and he released my hand, drawing his sword barely in time to deflect a blow from a gray blur.

_Jasmine!_ I recognized the call immediately. Ever faithful, Kree and Filli had returned to me, Kree clutching Filli in his talons. "What on earth is happening?" I cried as Kree dropped Filli onto my shoulder and then fluttered to a halt on my held-out arm.

"Forta is possessed by some demon," replied Barda, who had appeared next to Lief. Both of them had their swords in their hands and looked grim. I finally had enough sense to take in my surroundings.

It was not only Forta who appeared possessed. All of the dragons were not in their right mind, attacking us, the group clustered on the highest hill. The group that was made up of the people with the most powerful influence upon the kingdom.

But what struck me first was that all of the dragons' beautiful, gem-like scales had dulled into a deep gray. Their eyes were the boiling blood red that mirrored the ones that had, briefly, held me powerless.

_The dragonling!_ screeched Kree suddenly, nearly deafening me in one ear. _The dragonling! It isn't controlled like the others!_

He was right; the Ruby dragonling flapped in circles, confused by the sudden change. As I watched, a small burst of red fire bloomed against the black of the sky as it tried to find its mother.

"Lief, the—!"

My cry was cut off as the dragons all roared, their flame hideously gray like their scales. Then they swooped at the hill as one and landed before us, but made no move to attack.

_"You have not won,"_ spat one of the dragons. I could no longer tell which dragon was which, their brilliant colors obscured by the gray. _"You think you have bested the Shadow Lord, but that is not true."_ All of them turned their eyes on me, narrowed and burning. But none of them released the hypnotic power that Forta had first used.

_"Beware the Shadow Lord, _king_," _snarled another dragon. It said the word "king" like a curse. _"Now, he is stronger than ever."_

And then the dragons pounced.

* * *

Vaguely, I remembered something I had once seen in the Forests, so long ago. . . . No, that was wrong. It seemed like a _lifetime_ ago.

A lifetime ago I had seen a Silence Spider leap onto its prey, deathly silent and swift. The prey—a moth or other of some sort—had struggled briefly before the venom overcame it.

The dragons had leaped upon me in almost the same way. I was helpless, entangled in their web of pulsing, shadowy power. But I was not about to go without a fight.

It was a dark, swirling gray all around me. Veins of red flashed every now and then like lightning, reminding me of the storm last night. . . . Last night seemed like a lifetime ago, as well.

I reached for my dagger only to find it was gone. The absence of the other dagger hidden in my boot struck me odd as well.

_No, not odd. This is _this_ particular predator's way of poisoning you._

I could not fight, then. Fine. I could use my words.

"Hear me, Shadow Lord," I hissed, glaring at the gray surrounding me. "You will pay for all you have ever done to my land, my family, and my friends. _You will regret this!_"

And then the gray lifted, and I was . . .

_No . . . _no_! This can't be happening! No!  
_

. . . back. In the Shadowlands.

* * *

**I regret leaving you all at a cliffie.  
**

**. . . Okay, not really. :P What? If you're gonna read what I write, better get used to constant cliffies. XD  
**

**Firstly, thank you all for the reviews! 8D Two reviews already! I _knew_ this story would turn out promising! So, replies to reviews!  
**

**DoomedToBeACrazyFanGirlForever: Here you go, then! XD**

**PurpleLight: Thank you! :D And yes, it has been quite a while . . . :P I'll try not to take too long to update, as I completely understand the horrible feeling of waiting for someone to write that new chapter that you've been waiting for for months, but I have other stories as well. Sigh. Er, as for fluff, I think you saw my rather fail-y attempt there. I'll do my best, but . . . since I'm only twelve and the only way for me to learn to write fluff is by reading what others write and trying to adapt that into my own writing [style]. Fortunately, that's the exact way I even _learned_ how to write, so I shouldn't have too much of a problem! ;D**

**Right, onto the next thing: my reasons for not updating this as quickly as I'd hoped. Well, for one, there was that pre-competition class I mentioned in the other chapter. Thankfully, the ten days of classes are over. :D **

_**However **_**(haha, there has to be a "however"), I have been forced away from the computer by various people, including my sister Lime Green Squirrel (who is hopelessly addicted to Animal Jam and always saying "I'm trying to get rid of my useless items and trying to figure out how to hack into Julian2's account!", even if the latter is an excellent reason to be on), my mother (chores and babysitting my other sister "Sage" mostly), and time. Sooo hopefully, those are good enough excuses. XP  
**

**As I said, I'll try to update as soon as I can! :) Review!**


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